


It's not safe to seek the attention

by crookedspoon



Series: nothing more than any artists dreams [8]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Banter, Gen, How Do I Tag, POV Prokopenko, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 15:25:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13616196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crookedspoon/pseuds/crookedspoon
Summary: "Why do you have those on your phone?" he tries to sound nonchalant when he plucks the blunt for a quick puff. He needs it. Jiang is looking at the photos he took during the shoot the other day... and after.Takes place after the events of "this has moved past love to mania" etc.





	It's not safe to seek the attention

**Author's Note:**

  * For [galateaofthewestside](https://archiveofourown.org/users/galateaofthewestside/gifts).



> For #474 "Camera" at slashthedrabble and Day #10 "Honour" at inktober for writers.
> 
> This is the original 3rd person POV version. I tried adapting it to 2nd person POV for Reasons, but it sounded weird in places. It's [on tumblr](https://crookedspoonfic.tumblr.com/post/170662846880/trc-prokojiang-camera), if you'd rather read that.

Proko finds Jiang spread out on the couch in K's apartment, one elbow draped over the arm, a blunt between his fingertips, the other propping up his phone.

Proko crouches to stealthily swipe the joint Jiang is practically offering to anyone who passes, and to have a look at what he's thumbing through.

Heat explodes through his cheeks.

"Why do you have those on your phone?" he tries to sound nonchalant when he plucks the blunt for a quick puff. He needs it. Jiang is looking at the photos he took during the shoot the other day... and after.

"They're hot," Jiang replies and snaps his fingers into Proko's face. Proko hands back what's barely more than a filter.

"Bullshit. You don't even like gay porn."

"Is it still gay if you look like a girl?" 

"Huh." The whole point of the shoot was to capture any feminine allure Proko might have, but he's not quite ready to share the underlying truth with Jiang yet. "Beats me."

Jiang shrugs, takes one last drag and tosses the butt into an abandoned glass on the coffee table. "So yeah, they're hot. Scout's honor."

Touching his thumb to his little finger, he salutes him with the rest.

Proko frowns back. It's safer than getting flustered about the pictures and why Jiang is looking at them.

"Didn't you get into an argument with Swan once about how you were never a Scout?"

"I said I was never a Boy Scout."

"What else is there?"

"Take a guess."

Proko has the distinct feeling that Jiang is pulling his leg. "Like hell they let a psycho like you join the Girl Scouts."

"Why not? They're a lot more inclusive, you know."

"You'd have sliced everyone to ribbons."

"Who says I didn't?" Jiang grins. Or pulls back the edges of his lips to sneer at him. Hard to tell with how deadpan he is. If it's supposed to be a grin, it's sharper even than K's weaponized smiles and a clear rival to the butterfly knife he likes to flip around from time to time. 

Proko pauses, unsure how to respond. "You're shitting me, right?"

Jiang's dark gaze bores into Proko's skull, heavy with meaning. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Jiang just imparted some long-kept secret to him – though why Proko? Why now? Not like they're the tightest of buddies.

No, Proko is probably reading too much into it, since he's been learning a great deal about himself these past weeks and it's upended his entire worldview. He's still trying to get used to this new slant to how he engages with his environment and how he thinks about things. As of yet he doesn't feel like he has the right words to articulate any of it.

"So..." he awkwardly circles to their earlier conversation, since he doesn't know what else to say. "You think I'm hot now?"

"The fuck?"

"You said so before."

"I said my photos were hot, dickhead. Learn to listen."

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Hollow" by Cloudeater.


End file.
